‘Saint Mary’ female lead Shabnam Gholikhani talks with ifilm

Renowned Iranian actress Shabnam Gholikhani, talks with ifilm about religious series ‘Saint Mary’ currently run on the channel’.

Gholikhani said in an ifilm exclusive interview, “I heard through a friend of mine about” a casting call in 1999 for a period drama project when she was a theater student.

The actress added a friend suggested she should give a test. Gholikhani did so and was cast for the lead role in ‘Saint Mary’ series.

The popular actress noted at first she didn’t know that the test is for choosing the main character.

The popular series 'Saint Mary' is currently being broadcast on ifilm English.

Saint Mary, the mother of Jesus, is one of the most cherished holy figures for Muslims.

She is the symbol of purity and fortitude. To celebrate her life, this series paints a picture of her in the fashion Islam portrays her.

Born in 1977, Shabnam Qolikhani has a BA in Scenic Design and an MA in Theater Directing. She began her stage career in 1996 appearing in the play Antigone.

She found fame after appearing in the film ‘Saint Mary’ (2000) and her first small screen appearance was in ‘The First Night of Peace’ series in 2005.

Since then she has appeared in different series, including ‘A Stairway to Heaven’ (2009), ‘The Fifth Sun’ (2009), ‘Ancient Land’ (2010) and ‘Five Kilometers from Heaven’ (2011).

Some of her films also include ‘Greed’ (2002), ‘The Last Thursday of the Month’ (2011) and ‘Big Little Man’ (2012).

FM/AG